Minutes ago, the U.S. Navy fired over 50 cruise missiles at the Al-Shayrat Airbase in the Homs Governorate, causing significant damage to the military installation. According to local sources, a U.S. naval vessel off the coast of Syria carried out the attack this morning, firing over 50 tomahawk cruise missiles at the Al-Shayrat Airbase in the Homs Governorate. Multiple casualties have been reported at the airbase by local sources; however, the death toll is still unknown.

Preparation

News of the planned strike was published in the media several hours before.

On Thursday evening, two US Navy battleships were put on high-alert in the eastern Mediterranean Sea as Donald Trump was set to met with military advisors in Florida on Friday in response to a recent chemical massacre in Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib. According to a report, the USS Ross and USS Porter guided-missile destroyers neared the coast of Syria in what appears to be a drastic escalation. In a press conference this evening, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said “steps are underway” on an international coalition to pressure Bashar Assad from power, as President Trump was being briefed on military options for Syria.

Official statements

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR MCMASTER: Our intelligence community in cooperation with our friends and partners and allies around the world collaborated to determine with a very high degree of confidence precisely where the location originated. And then, of course, the sorts of chemicals that were used in the attack, that’s – that confidence level has just continued to grow in the hours and days since the attack, associated with additional evidence that’s available, especially so sad, sadly, from the victims that are being treated, and then confirmation of the type of agent that was used, which is a nerve agent

SECRETARY TILLERSON: We sought no approval – we sought no approval from Moscow or at any other level within the Russian infrastructure. This was strictly following the rules that we have put in place in agreement with the Russian military to de-conflict, because our target in this attack was not Russian. It was not the Russians. It was not their forces nor any Russian individuals. Our target was this airfield and the Syrian regime.

PRESIDENT ASSAD: In an unjust and arrogant aggression, the United States targeted at dawn on Friday the airport of al-Shairat in the countryside of Homs. Targeting an airport of a sovereign state by the US is an outrageous act that clarifies in conclusive evidence once again what Syria has been saying that the succession of administrations of this regime does not change the deep policies of its entity which is represented by targeting states, subjugating peoples and the attempt to dominate the world.

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Damage

According to Russian sources, 23 out of 59 missiles hit the airbase. They destroyed a material storage depot, a training facility, a canteen, six MiG-23 aircraft in repair hangars and a radar station. According to Syrian sources, at least six soldiers died and a number were injured. Missiles hitting surroundings of the base and village al-Hamrat killed nine civilians, among them four children. A missile hitting al-Manzoul village injured seven civilians. The runways remained undamaged and on the next day, agencies report that jets have taken off again from the base.

'Low effectiveness'?

Russian sources describe "low effectiveness'; according to Ru MOD, only 23 of 59 Tomahawks struck the base. It may to do with air defense, including radio-electronic warfare and whatever else Russian or Syrians were willing/able to deploy. But low-flying Tomahawks can be also shot down with MANPADS, including older and modern versions of Streka and Igla (with imperfect yet reasonable success rate; it is said that there are lots of those in Syria)